Drivers pay $1 million to use I-595 express lanes

The Interstate 595 express lanes have lived up to their billing in their first year: Providing a quick shot between the western suburbs and Fort Lauderdale for those willing to pay.

Travel speeds are up and tolls have remained low since the region's first reversible lanes opened March 26.

The gates that control access to the express lanes have been a hit – literally. Drivers smacked into them 153 times in the last year.

Backups that used to be common have largely disappeared on I-595 but have shifted to a new stretch of State Road 84 that moves traffic between the interstate, Florida's Turnpike, State Road 7 and Davie Road.

Still, officials say the lanes – which run between Florida's Turnpike and I-75 -- have been a success. No one has entered the wrong way and the lanes have been partially blocked only three times – one involving a disabled vehicle and two crashes. None, however, resulted in complete closure of the lanes.

Drivers have hit the Interstate 595 express lane gates 105 times from March 26 to September 5.

Here are some quick facts about the new I-595:

Tolls

Tolls generated about $1 million in revenue from April through January, the latest figures available.

The rate can fluctuate from 50 cents to $2, but so far only 50 cents has been charged. Officials expect that to stay in place for the foreseeable future because traffic is light and the lanes are still new. Tolls are set based on demand.

By comparison, the I-95 express lanes – where tolls can range from 50 cents to $10.50 -- raised more than $19.5 million in the same period.

Heaviest demand

About 2.4 million vehicles used the express lanes from March through December. The demand is slightly higher eastbound, thanks to weekend usage which is limited to eastbound traffic only.

The busiest month so far was April, when 325,963 vehicles used the lanes. But that month also included eight days in which tolls weren't charged.

Before the I-595 reconstruction began, officials projected the express lanes would handle 19,000 vehicles a day a few years after they opened; it now averages 12,000 vehicles daily. By contrast, I-95 express lanes carry about 54,000 vehicles a day on average.

Speed

About 50 percent of the drivers in the express lanes are traveling faster than 80 mph. The posted speed limit is 70 mph in the express lanes, 65 mph in the regular lanes.

On average, drivers are going 78 mph in the express lanes and 70 mph in the regular lanes at rush hour.

Some slowdowns still occur at rush hour, especially in the few areas where I-595 still only has three lanes – like eastbound between Nob Hill and Hiatus roads. But officials say drivers traveling the full length of I-595 now have the express lanes as an option to avoid backups.

Express buses

Bringing relief to I-595 commuters wasn't just about adding lanes for drivers. Express bus service was also created to lure people out of their cars.

Ridership is up 32 percent in fiscal 2014 compared to the same period a year earlier. Average daily boardings have grown from 194 a day in 2012 to more than 700 in 2014.

Last fall, Broward County Transit quit using premium buses on the Fort Lauderdale route and put them on the more popular Miami routes. In January, the county carried an average of 639 riders on its 595 routes to Miami, but only 41 to Fort Lauderdale.

The future

Heavier traffic on S.R. 84 has resulted in bottlenecks at Davie Road and Southwest 136th Avenue. Officials are studying what minor improvements can be made at both intersections.

Construction is underway on a flyover that will connect the express lanes directly to the new I-75 express lanes, with work completed in 2017.

Plans also are in the works to connect I-595 directly to the I-95 express lanes, with construction starting in 2019 or 2020 at the earliest.